Game Of Love
by ShootingFirework
Summary: AU. Starting off of the scene where Dan strangles Lucas. What would have happened had Dan knocked Peyton unconscious when he knocked her to the floor and did not know that Lucas saved him from the fire? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything One Tree Hill except for both DVDs and two OTH Books!

The first bit is almost directly from the ending of From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea and First Day on A New Planet.

Now onto the story

Dan Scott was on a walk along the boardwalk when he came to the party where his two sons and their friends were. He saw his younger son, Nathan, talking with some friends and his older son, Lucas, talking to his best friend and Nathan's ex-wife, Haley, by the fire. When he saw Lucas by the fire. When he saw Lucas by the fire, Dan finally realized, or at least he thought he realized, that Lucas had been the one who started the fire at Dan Scott Motors that almost killed him.

A week later, he came across Lucas at the Rivercourt. Dan was determined to kill whoever had tried to kill him, so he walked up to Lucas with every intention on killing his own son. His friends coming onto the court, however, saved Lucas. Later that night, though, Lucas was not so lucky. He went to Whitey Durham Field House at Tree Hill High School with Peyton to tell her why Ellie had really bought the drugs. While they were there, Dan came in to finish the "talk" he had had with Lucas at the Rivercourt. Dan walked up to Lucas and grabbed his throat after saying that Luke would die because he had tried to kill Dan. Peyton then tried to get Dan off of Lucas but all she accomplished was Dan pushing her over and Peyton hit the floor knocking her unconscious and unable to save Lucas from what was to come.

A/N

Alright hoped you guys liked this chapter. I will have the next chapter up very very soon! I already have it written; I just need to type it.


	2. Author's Note

Hey guys,

Sorry you havent gotten an update in a really long time….I am at college and I forgot to grab the notebook that this story is in before I left my house. I have the second notebook but not the first, which is really sad cause I can't go back through what I have already written to get ideas for the rest of the story. I am going home on the 13th of October and I will make sure to grab it then and I will type some more up and update this story shortly. Sorry for the delay. Just to let you know, I have a lot of this story written so once I get the notebook, I can update frequently!

Megs


	3. Another author's note

Hey guys,

Sorry about the lack of updates on this story. I have been really busy but don't worry a new update will come as soon as I get time to type it up.

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I remember reading a story set during the episode where Nathan passes out after taking the drugs in Season One. The story that I am thinking about has Lucas in the hospital at the same time as Nathan for blood poisoning from his tattoo and having to get an HIV test. Then, Lucas worries about the test result and having to get a second test 6 months later.

If anyone knows what the story is, if they would please message me that would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, the next chapter will be up soon.

Thanks

Meghan


	4. Chapter 2

With Peyton unable to save Lucas, Dan was able to seriously hurt Lucas

With Peyton unable to save Lucas, Dan was able to seriously hurt Lucas. After Lucas became unconscious because of lack of breath, Dan let him fall to the ground and then continued to injure Lucas by kicking and just beating him in general. By the time Dan was done, Lucas was bleeding from many parts of his body. When Dan left, both Lucas and Peyton were still unconscious. As Dan was leaving, he turned the lights off so that no one would find Luke and Peyton until the next morning. Later on when Peyton woke up, she did not see Lucas and her head was hurting really bad so she went back to sleep, not realizing that Lucas was a few yards away. The next morning when Whitey came in, he went to the gym to turn the lights on. The switch was on the wall opposite from his office. Since the lights were off, he could not see Lucas and Peyton unconscious on the floor. So Whitey walked around the gym to get to the light switch and as he got closer to where Lucas and Peyton were, he started to realize that he was stepping in something sticky so he quickly ran over to the light switch and turned on the lights. He then saw Lucas lying on the floor. Peyton was getting up to see how Lucas was .

"Peyton, are you okay? What happened?" asked Whitey.

"Dan thinks that Lucas was the one who started the fire at Dan Scott Motors. Dan was determined to kill the person who started the fire. So he tried to kill Luke last night. This was after he knocked me out. With the exception of a huge headache, I'm fine. I'm worried about Luke. He hasn't moved all night. He is bleeding heavily from so many different areas," said Peyton.

"You stay here with Luke. I will go call 911."

"All right, I can do that."

After Whitey called 911, he came back out to look at Luke. It was hard to tell what was wrong because of all the blood. A little while later, the paramedics arrived at the gym. When they got in the gym, they saw Whitey and Peyton with Lucas still unconscious on the ground.

"Is he breathing?" the paramedic asked.

"Yes, but just barely," said Whitey.

"Let's get him stable and capable of being moved."

About ten minutes later, the paramedics had Luke on the ambulance.

"Do either of you want to ride with him?" asked the paramedic.

"Peyton, why don't you go? He is one of your best friends. You also should make sure that blow to your head didn't do any damage," said Whitey.

"Okay, but my head is fine. All I have is a headache," said Peyton.

"Well you still could have a mild concussion," said the paramedic.

"But what about school?"

"You'll be excused, trust me. Now go with Luke and make sure he is okay. I'll tell the principal when I tell him what happened since I have to," said Whitey. "I will call Karen to let her know."

"Thanks Whitey. I'll call if there is any change,' said Peyton as she got into the ambulance.

A few minutes after the ambulance left, the police and students started to show up. Nathan got there just as the cops pulled up. Nathan followed the cops to the gym.

"Hey Coach. What's up?" asked Nathan.

"We were wondering the same thing. Officer Ford, Tree Hill Police Department," the officer said.

"Well I don't know exactly what happened. From what Peyton Sawyer told me, Dan Scott is determined to kill whoever started the fire that nearly killed him and for some reason he thought his son, Lucas, started it. So, apparently, Dan came here last night while Lucas was talking to Peyton. He then knocked Peyton onto the floor and she hit her head and was unconscious and before that, he choked Lucas and then after Peyton was unconscious, dropped him on the floor and while they were unconscious, Dan beat Lucas really hard and pretty badly," said Whitey.

'Wait, Coach, did you say Dan, mine and Lucas's father, beat Lucas and all of this blood is his? Is he okay and where is Peyton?" asked Nathan.

"Yeah, Nate. Dan did beat Lucas and all of the blood is his. We don't know how he is and Peyton is with Lucas. She is going to call once she gets information. Head to class. I'll send a note once I get some news. Now, I have to call Karen."

"Thanks Coach."

Whitey got into his office and called Karen. Unforunately, she wasn't home, so he left a message. Then, he called the Café and she wasn't there either.


	5. Chapter 3

With Peyton unable to save Lucas, Dan was able to seriously hurt Lucas

Meanwhile, at Tree Hill Hospital, Lucas was being taken up to surgery. Before they did, the doctor told Peyton that Lucas would be okay. The primary problem was his knee, which Dan had destroyed while beating Lucas. The other problem was the risk of internal bleeding. Peyton called Whitey and told him what the doctor had said. About an hour after that, Karen called Whitey asking what had happened and how her son was. After hearing what Whitey said, Karen rushed to Tree Hill Memorial Hospital. When she got there, she saw Peyton in the waiting room. She ran up to her and gave her a huge hug.

"Hey Peyton, are you okay?" asked Karen.

"Yeah, the doctors said I just have a mild concussion," said Peyton.

"Any updates on Lucas?"

"No, nothing since he went up for surgery."

Nathan, in the mean time, was walking around school wondering about whether to tell Haley about Lucas. He assumed Whitey had told her so he didn't worry about it. However, Whitey did not see Haley to tell her.

"Hey Brooke, what's up?" asked Nathan.

"Hey Nate. What's wrong?" asked Brooke. "Lucas is normally the serious one. Thinking of Lucas, do you know where he is?"

"No, maybe he is just sick," said Nathan who had decided it would be best to not have her and Haley freaking out.

"Okay. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah."

About two hours later, Lucas's doctor came down to the Waiting Room to tell Karen how Lucas was.

"Mrs. Scott?"

"Actually, it's Ms. Roe."

"Oh okay. Well Ms. Roe, I'm Doctor Franklin, Luke's doctor. He is in recovery now. He broke eight ribs, severely bruised his shoulder, had a Grade 2 concussion, and a lot of bruising and some internal bleeding. We got his internal bleeding corrected, so there should be no complications from that. His knee was messed up pretty badly. We had to surgically repair the bone and many ligaments including his ACL, PCL, LCL, and MCL. He also tore his menisci and his knee was dislocated. We had to pit screws in to the bone for it to heal. We put his knee in an immobilizer so it doesn't move at all. He is in recovery right now and will be moved to a regular room soon. He should be awake soon and once he is moved to his room, you can go see him. Just realize that he is really shaken up and he might not talk much because since he was strangled, his throat will be sore for a while. His whole body will be sore for a little while," said Dr. Franklin.

"All right. Thank you Doctor," said Karen.

"Lucas is in his room now," said the nurse.

"Thank you. What room?"

"Room 108. He can go home once I go talk to him, which will be in about an hour," said Dr. Franklin.

"Thank you again."

"Ready Karen?" asked Peyton.

"Yeah, and Peyton, thanks for being here."

"No problem."

Karen and Peyton walked down to Room 108 and then they walked in together.

"Hey Luke. How are you feeling?" asked Peyton.

"Horrible. My head, knee, shoulder, and ribs hurt like crazy. My throat hurts pretty badly too," Luke said very hoarsely.

"Yeah, that is one nice bruise on your neck," said Peyton.

Karen finally moved from her position in the doorway and ran towards her son and, careful of his injuries, gave her son a hug.

"I was so scared, Luke. The doctor said that you won't be able to play basketball for a while because of your knee and that he would be in to talk to you about your injuries in about an hour," said Karen.

"Okay. Sorry I scared you."

Exactly an hour later, Dr. Franklin came into Luke's room.

"Hey Lucas. How are you feeling? I'm Doctor Franklin. I was the doctor who performed your surgery. I know your mom has told you some stuff but I would like to tell you about your injuries more in depth," said Dr. Franklin.

"Okay and to answer your question, I feel horribly. My whole body hurts," said Lucas.

"Yeah, I can imagine. Well I'm sure you want to go home so I'll make this short as possible. 8 of your ribs were broken. You have a concussion and your shoulder was severely bruised. Those should all be healed within a month or two. Your knee, on the other hand, is going to take a while to heal and honestly, I don't know if it will ever fully heal and get back to how it was. Your ACL, MCL, LCL, and PCL were torn and had to be surgically repaired. Your menisci also were torn and dislocated. We had to put screws in your knee to get the bones back together. Other than the injuries stated, you have a lot of bruises and you had some internal bleeding, which we got fixed. You are free to go home," said Dr. Franklin.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you home," said Karen.

"I love you, Mom," said Lucas.

"I love you too Luke."


	6. Chapter 4

With Peyton unable to save Lucas, Dan was able to seriously hurt Lucas

Before Karen drove Luke home, she drove Peyton to the high school to pick up her car. Lucas and Karen then went to the pharmacy and then home, while Peyton went to her house and called Nathan.

"Hey Peyt. I'm so glad you're home. How are you? Whitey told me what happened. How is Lucas feeling? Oh and if Brooke and Haley ask if you know where Lucas is, don't tell them. I don't want them freaking out," said Nate.

"Hey Nate. I'm been better. Lucas is in a lot of pain. Dan really messed up his knee. Lucas will be on the injured list for the whole season. He's really shaken up and freaked out. I mean Dan is his father and he only beat Lucas because Dan remembered seeing Lucas at the dealership during the fire. If only Dan knew the truth…," Peyton said quietly.

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

"Dan thinks that Lucas was there because he started the fire, but Nathan, Lucas was at the dealership because he saved Dan. God, Luke saved his life and this is what he gets," Peyton recalled in tears.

"Peyt, by any chance, is your dad home?"

"No, he's on the boat."

"Okay, I am on my way. You shouldn't be alone tonight. Okay well my dad will be home soon and I don't want to be here when he gets here, so I have to go."

"Thank you, Nate. I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

About twenty minutes later, Nathan arrived at Peyton's house.

"Hey, you okay?" Nate asked once he found her in tears on her bed.

"No, not really. I feel horrible for Lucas. I can't even imagine what he is going through. I mean he was beaten by his father and all he did was save his dad's life," said Peyton.

"Okay, all Whitey knew was what he was told by you before Luke's surgery. So how bad are Luke's injuries?"

"8 ribs were broken. He has a concussion and a severely bruised shoulder. His ACL, MCL, PCL, LCL, and menisci were torn and had to be surgically repaired. The surgeon had to put permanent screws in his knee."

"Geez. Yeah I definitely see why Luke won't be back on the court for a while. Do you know when he will be back in school? God, I can't believe Dan did this to him."

"Well Knowing Luke, he'll want to come back tomorrow."

"Would going over to Luke's and seeing how he is make you feel better?"

"Yes. Thank you, Nate. You are the best."

"All right, let me call Karen first to see if Luke's up."

"Thanks again for being here, Nate."

"No problem," said Nate pulling out his phone to call Karen.

A couple of minutes later, Nate was off the phone.

"Okay, Karen says Luke is up and she would love it if we came over. Apparently, Luke is a complete mess and needs his friends. I need to apologize to him about the stuff I said to him in the spring."

"I'm not surprised he is such a mess. Nate, you should've seen him. God I don't know if I will ever be able to get the images of Dan strangling Luke and Luke unconscious on the gym floor out of my head. I think for Luke's sake, we need to tell Brooke and Hales."

"I was just thinking the same thing. I'll call Brooke if you call Haley."

"Okay, but you know you can't avoid her forever."

"I know. I just can't deal with that now."


	7. Chapter 5

With Peyton unable to save Lucas, Dan was able to seriously hurt Lucas

After Peyton and Nathan called Brooke and Haley, they headed to Luke's house.

"Thank you guys. Luke just really needs his friends tonight. Don't worry about how long you guys stay," said Karen.

"Hey Nate, you go talk with him while I talk to Karen," said Peyton.

"Okay thanks," said Nate.

"What is going on?" Karen asked once Nathan was in Luke's room.

"Nathan wants to apologize to Luke for something he said before High Flyers," said Peyton.

"Oh, so how is your head feeling?"

"It hurts but I'll be okay. I'm too busy worrying about Lucas to worry about my head."

"Peyton, thanks for being here for Lucas. You are a really great friend."

"Thank you. My reasons for coming are purely selfish though. I needed to be with Lucas since he was there. So when will Luke be back at school?"

"He wants to go back tomorrow."

"Sounds like Lucas."

"But the doctor told him to stay in bed for the week and he could go back to school Monday. His physical therapy will start once his other injuries are healed, so in about two months. Much to Luke's dismay, Dr. Franklin said that it will be at least a year before he would be back on the court."

"Geez, that must be hard for Luke."

"Yeah, he still feels guilty about missing the last shot last year. So, now he won't be able to make up for it and it is really upsetting him."

"I can imagine. All right, well I am going to go talk to him."

Meanwhile Nathan was in Lucas's room.

"Hey man, how are you feeling?" asked Nathan.

"You're talking to me again? Why? Cause I got injured?" asked Lucas.

"Yeah man, about that…I wanted to I'm sorry before you got injured. But you know all about the Scott pride, it takes a lot to say sorry. But now I am saying it. I'm sorry man. I overreacted. You were there for me the whole time hales was gone but when I saw the envelope, I just flipped and the thing with Dan just pushed me over the edge. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Brothers?"

"Okay, whatever," Lucas said hoarsely.

"Does that mean I am forgiven?"

"Yeah little brother, it does. Oh and to answer your first question, I feel horrible."

"I can imagine. I can't believe Dan did this to you."

"Is Peyton with my mom? I thought I heard her voice."

"I'm right here, Lucas," said Peyton from his doorway.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just have a headache."

"You told Nathan the real story, right?"

"Yeah, he knows," said Peyton going to the bed to comfort Lucas.

When Haley and Brooke arrived about ten minutes later, the first they heard was Lucas crying. What they saw when they entered Lucas's room was even more heart-wrenching. Luke and Peyton were lying in his bed. Peyton had her arm around him comforting him and Nathan was sitting in a chair next to Luke's bed. Lucas and Peyton were both crying and even Nathan was pretty close.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Brooke asked quietly.

"Horrible. My throat, head, knee, ribs, and shoulder hurt really badly," Lucas rasped.

"Sorry Broody. Oh by the way your mom wanted me to ask if you wanted some ice for your knee."

"Please. Thank you Cheery."

"No problem. Let me get that for you," Brooke said smiling at the sound of his nickname for her.

"Hey Luke. God I can't believe that Dan did this to you….Sorry," said Haley after seeing Lucas and Peyton both cringe at the sound of Dan's name.

"It's okay. That name just freaks us out right now," said Peyton for Lucas since she could tell that his throat was starting to hurt more than before with all the talking he was doing.

"I can imagine. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not yet, maybe another time. Sorry Hales," Lucas rasped out quietly.

"It's okay. It was just last night and this was a really traumatic experience, easily the most traumatic event of your life. I'm sorry I asked so soon."

Haley, Brooke, Nathan, and Peyton then sat around Luke's bed (or on it in Peyton's case) until he was "asleep", which took about four hours.

"Hey Peyt. You're staying here with Luke right?" asked Nate.

"Yeah, in case he wakes up freaked out and wants someone there," said Peyton.

"So will we see you in school tomorrow?" asked Brooke.

"Probably not, I think I might get some sleep. If my headache goes away, I might get to sleep. But seriously, look at the time, it is already 2:00 am. I mean Whitey told the school what happened so they won't get mad at me for not being there."

"All right, P. Sawyer. Maybe I'll see you at school, if not I will see you after school tomorrow here. Tell Lucas I hope he feels better and that I'll see him tomorrow, please?"

"Of course, I will Brooke. See you guys later."

"Peyt, you going to be okay here?" asked Nate.

"Yeah, Lucas and Karen are here so I will be okay."

"All right, get some sleep."

"I'll try. You get some too. Thanks for driving me over."

"No problem."

After Nate, Brooke, and Haley left, Peyton went out and talked to Karen.

"Hey Karen," said Peyton.

"Hey, how is your head feeling?" asked Karen.

"It still hurts but the doctor said that it would for the next couple of days or weeks."

"Thanks for staying here with Luke."

"Of course. Neither of us are going to school tomorrow on doctor's orders and since you have to be at the Café, I figured Luke might need someone and who better than one of his friends."

"True, you are a great friend, Peyton. Luke is lucky to have you. Have you heard from Jake recently?"

"No, not yet. But I'm still hopeful. How far could Nicki have gotten?"

"True. You are an amazing girl, there for all of your friends and family."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, you can tell me anything."

"I feel guilty that I wasn't able to do more to protect Lucas."

"Peyton, there was nothing you could do. Dan purposely knocked you unconscious so you couldn't do anything about Luke. Luke wouldn't want you feeling guilty. He thinks the world of you since you tried to stop Dan before he knocked you out."

"I know I shouldn't feel guilty but I do. If I hadn't hit my head when Dan shoved me, I would have been able to save him from getting this injured. I could have told Dan the truth about what happened the night of the fire or gotten Luke to tell him."

"Peyton, you did all you could and I am very thankful for you."

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Get some sleep. You aren't going to feel any better without getting sleep. You can go lay down in Luke's room. I can get you a sleeping bag or some blankets or you can lie in his bed to comfort him and yourself."

"All right. I'll sleep in his chair because I don't want to accidentally hit his head, ribs, shoulder, or knee while I sleep."

"All right, let me get you some blankets and pillows. I'll call the school later morning and tell them that you two won't be in school today and that Lucas won't be in until Monday. Now, it is 4:00am, go get sleep. See you later this morning. Thanks for staying here with him today. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I have to go to the Café so I will cal and check in on you and Luke to make sure you guys are all right. So if I am gone before you and Luke wake up, I'll se you two later."

"All right, Karen. Thank you for letting me stay here with Luke. Thank you for taking care of me."

"No problem. When does your dad get home?"

"Umm, I think like three weeks."

"Geez, did you call or email him to tell him?"

"No, I figured he didn't need to be worried when I am all right."

"If you need to, you can stay here whenever you need to."

"Thank you. Good night."

"Good night. Let me go get you blankets and pillows. I will be in to give you them in just a second."

"All right, thank you again."

Once Karen had brought Peyton the blankets, Peyton sat on the chair for a while. Around 8:00am, Lucas was waking up.

"Hey Luke, how are you feeling?" asked Peyton.

"Still in a lot of pain. How about you? Where did everyone else go?" asked Lucas.

"I'm feeling better, I guess. Nathan, Brooke, and Haley had to go to school. Your mom had to go to the Café."

"Thanks for staying here. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No, too freaked out to sleep. Brooke, Nate, Hales, and I sat here waiting for you to get to sleep until 2:00. Then, I talked to your mom for two hours. Then, I have sat here for about four hours."

"I can imagine the freaked out part. But, Peyt, your head is not going to get any better if you don't rest."

"I know. Your mom told me the exact same thing. You spend too much time with your mom."

"No really, maybe because from the time I was born until the beginning of junior year, all I had was Hales, Keith, my mom, and the Rivercourt."

"True, I wish I had talked to you growing up. Your advice would have been very helpful."

"I would have loved to known you when you were younger too."


	8. Chapter 6

With Peyton unable to save Lucas, Dan was able to seriously hurt Lucas

Luke and Peyton then hung out the rest of the day. After school was over, Brooke, Haley, and Nathan came over with Luke and Peyton's homework and class work from yesterday and today. The five of them then did their homework together and helped Luke and Peyton with the class work. Afterwards, they just hung out and talked. The night before, Nathan had talked to Dan and Dan told him that he was going to kill whoever tried to kill him, so Nate, knowing that Dan believed Lucas started the fire, decided to warn Lucas.

"Hey Luke. I wanted to warn you that Dan isn't done with you. He told me last night that he would kill you, well his words were whoever started the fire," said Nate.

"Didn't he basically all ready do that?" asked Lucas. "I can't play basketball for at least a year. Hasn't he already made me life worse enough?"

"Luke. Your life is not over because you can't play basketball for at least a year. You still have us, your mom, and school. Heck, you've got graduation to look forward to," said Peyton.

"Oh fun, just great, I have to walk across the stage on crutches. Oh, so much fun," said Luke.

"Luke, you need to look for the positives in this situation."

"Hard to do that right now."

Peyton went back to school the next day, but Luke was still stuck in bed for four days, including the weekend. On Monday, Luke went back to school. When he got out of bed, he was in a lot of pain. He had forgotten how much using the crutches with his broken ribs and bruised shoulder hurt. When Peyton got to Luke's house to drive him over to school early, Lucas was very happy to be sitting down again.

"Hey Luke, how are you feeling today?" asked Peyton.

"Honestly? Not that great. I forgot how much it hurt to use these crutches with my ribs," said Luke.

"Geez, I can imagine. Luke, are you sure you are okay to go to school today?"

"Yeah. I think I have stayed in my bed long enough. Have you gone into the gym yet?"

"No, I can't bring myself to go in there. When I even see the building, I start having a panic attack. I have trouble breathing and then I start shaking. I turn around and leave then."

"Geez, Peyton, I never realized how hard this was for you. I'm so sorry. How are you going to cheer once basketball season starts?"

"It's okay. I have a feeling I won't be cheering this year. I honestly can't imagine going back in there."

By this time, they had arrived at school.

"Come on, Peyt. We are going to try this."

"Okay, let's go."

"Ok, the gym is almost in sight."

'Okay, and remind me why we are doing this."

"Because even if I can't play, I am still a part of the basketball team and will therefore have to be in the gym occasionally and you love cheerleading."

"Okay."

When the gym came into sight, Peyton started to shake and have difficulty breathing like always. As they got closer and closer to the gym, Peyton was having even more difficulty breathing and was continuing to shake. Peyton soon started hyperventilating. There was a table right near them so Luke hobbled over to the table while Peyton walked over. They sat down while Peyton tried to settle her breathing down and stop shaking.

"How are you okay right now? Nothing really even happened to me," said Peyton.

"Yes, it did, Peyton. Dan choked me and beat me so hard that I don't remember any of what happened that night. All I know is what everyone has told me. You remember everything from Dan choking me to seeing me lying unconscious on the gym floor for hours. You are the bravest person I have ever known. I wish I could remember what happened in my own perspective because then I could help you through all this, but I can't and I feel like I have failed you," said Lucas.

"Lucas, you haven't failed me. It's better that you don't remember what that man did to you. You would be worse than me because everything actually happened to you. Knowing you, you would feel guilty for some part of what happened but you can't because you don't know what happened. I wish I didn't remember so badly."

Once she was calmed down a little, they got back up and tried it again. Peyton started hyperventilating again, but this time she managed to get to the door somehow. The moment she put her hand on the door, however, she had a flashback to that day and she turned around and ran from the gym. When she got back to her car, she fell to the ground shaking and sobbing. She was still hyperventilating as well. Lucas finally got to the car about five minutes later. He slowly got down next to Peyton and pulled her close to him.

"Peyt, shh I'm here. Calm down. You're okay. I'll protect you," said Lucas.

"Unlike I was able to do," said Peyton.

"Peyton, is that why you are so upset?"

"Yah, I failed you, Luke. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be on crutches."

"Peyton, you didn't fail me. You tried your hardest. This is completely Dan's fault."

"Yes, but if I had stayed conscious, I could have told him and therefore saved you from all this pain."

"Peyton, please do not feel guilty. I can't live with knowing that you feel guilty for something Dan did. You okay, Peyt?"

"I'm okay. Come on, Whitey wanted to see us at one of the tables since he realized that I was not able to go into the gym to get to his office," said Peyton.

"All right. Let's go," said Lucas. "Umm….A little help here please."

"Oh yeah sorry," said Peyton. She held Luke's crutches in one hand and his hand in the other. Luke then slowly got up off the ground.

"Okay no more sitting on the ground for a while. That hurt like anything. I could feel all my ligaments pulling and seeing as they were all surgically repaired, it hurt really badly. All right, let's go talk to Whitey."

"All right, are you sure that you are going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I mean my whole body hurts but that's a given seeing as Dan beat me up pretty badly. I have cuts and bruises all over my body plus my knee, shoulder, and ribs. But, let's go."

"All right."

Peyton and Lucas then slowly made their way over to where Whitey was sitting.

"Lucas Scott, good to see you up and about again," said Whitey. "How are you feeling?"

"Hey, Whitey. I've been better. I'm in a lot of pain right now," said Lucas.

"I can imagine. So Peyton, still can't go into the gym?"

"No but I'm trying," said Peyton.

"I know. I saw you guys try to go into the gym. Luke, you know that even though you won't be playing this year, I am still you your spot on the team, right?" asked Whitey.

"Of course, I know that. I was hoping so," said Lucas. "IIt would give me a reason to have to go into the gym."

"True, which is why I was hoping you would also help me coach a little this year. Last year with your shoulder, you told me you wished you could do your part to help the team. Since you can't play again this year, coaching is the next best thing. What do you say? I see how much you love being in that gym. If I can help you two get back into a place you guys love, I will be a very happy person."


End file.
